Friday, February 27, 2009

Dane now says mom-ma!! He has been randomly saying it today, but I didn't think he was trying to say it for my name, thought it was just a new sound. But tonight kevin was holding him, and said Dane say Momma...and then Dane said Mom-ma. Oh how I cheered!!! Then we asked him to say it again and he did!! Yeah for mommas!!!

By the way Dane has another tooth coming in on top! This tooth puts us up to 6 total with 4 being on top now!! I think the top ones are slow to grow, because none of them are completly in yet. His 2 front top teeth have been at the same spot forever it seems like, but still not fully out.

It has been quite of a struggle lately with feeding Dane. He only wants to eat if he can do it himself, which can be a total frustration sometimes. Not everything comes in a finger food way. ANd if you have to spoon feed him, he constantly turns his head and gets mad. Sometimes I can trick him by giving him a spoon to hold, and then in between him banging the spoon or putting his spoon in is mouth I can sneak in a couple bites. He also hasn't had the greatest appetite either lately, not sure why that is.

Oh and we have started doing something new with his paci the last week. When he wakes up and we get him out of the bed we make him throw his paci in the bed. He loves to throw it, and gets so excited afterwards because we cheer when he listens and does it. The paci never leaves his room, so he is only using it to go o sleep. He has totally gotten the idea, and even will point to the crib holding his paci when he is laying on the changing table. He gets so excited when he tosses the paci into the crib. I'm going to video it, maybe tommorow so I can put it on here.

It is getting almost impossible to go out to eat now a days. Dane is all over the place and so loud! We have turned into that family that everyone looks at, and is talking about. You know the family I'm talking about...the ones at a restaurant that you are looking at and wondering if they will ever leave, and the ones that you applaud once they do leave! Yeah that's us now! We just got back from Olive Garden, and had to eat in like 10 minutes because Dane was being "that" kid. He did not want to sit in the highchair so since we were sitting in a booth, and there was no table behind us we let him stand up in the booth. Dane was talking, squealing, laughing, yelling at the top of his lungs! The waiters computer was behind us, so he was being chatty and flirty anytime a waiter and waitress would come to the computer. He was also playing peek-a-boo with the wait staff, and would get so excited when they gave him attention! Luckily, he was very happy so all his loud noises were cute and hilarious to us, but I have a feeling that people eating around us was like Oh my goodness that kid is being so loud! But, a 1 year old doesn't understand what shh means!! So we ate quickly, and then told a couple tables around us that we were sorry he was being so loud. Dane has turned into such a little ham these days!

We went to the mall this morning to do a little bit of shopping, and to get Dane's feet remeasured. This stride rite told me that Dane's feet are both a little bigger than 4 1/2, so he needs to wear a size 5 wide...much better measurement this time around! :) Dane started getting antsy and wanting out of the stroller, so I decided to let him play for a little while at the indoor playground in the mall. Dane had a blast walking around and crawling through the teepees, and over the bridges. He did get bullied though while we were there. A little boy probably about 4 years old kept coming over to Dane and hitting him on the head. The first couple times the boy would hit him, I would nicely say to him no don't hit, or be careful. But, then he kept coming over time and time again, hitting Dane harder each time, and on his head at that. Ok I'm getting annoyed...where is this kids mother? Ok Kid you are messing with the wrong baby's momma!! :) Finally, he hit him one last time, and it made me mad so I looked around, made eye contact with the mother and told her in a firm but nice way that she needed to control her child from hitting other children! I mean seriously! I know kids go through phases where they hit other children, but at some point the mother needs to step in! Dane never once seemed bothered that his head was being pounded, he was so excited to be playing at the playground!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Today while Dane was napping I started sponging the bathroom. I'm unsure at this point how I feel about what it looks like. For some reason the flash on my camera makes the bathroom color look so much brighter than it actually is, so its hard to get the real effect. I think once all the accessories and decorations are up I may feel better about the bathroom. I think I have been looking at it too much, so I'm having a hard time deciding if I like it or not, and need a 2ND opinion.

Dane got a special treat this morning, because I was craving Shipley's. I got him a couple donut holes to munch on, and He loved them! At first, he kept just staring at it, and playing with it, probably because it is in the shape of a little ball. But then once he had a bite the mmm's started.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

It has been a long long week. I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and didn't get home until after 7:00 all 3 nights. Work has been rough, because we are just swamped with patients. I'm worn out, but so happy that I have the next 6 days off!! Whoop! I got home today and felt like Dane had grown over night! He just looked so big! I'm looking forward to spending lots of quality time with the Lil man over the next few days. I got Kevin to take some pictures during this week for me...that's what I do when I'm missing the Lil toot.

This baby is def my son...he loves Kevin's wallet and cell phones! :)

Playing with keys and playing in the fridge...2 of Dane's favorite things

Sunday, February 22, 2009

I started the process of painting Dane's bathroom. I'm actually quite proud of myself, I taped and painted the whole thing today with only Kevin taping a small section I could not reach. Today, I painted the walls a light blue, and once that drys I plan on sponging on a deep blue color on top. We plan on replacing the lights that were in there, and also the mirror, and I'm wanting to decorate with Dr Seuss accessories. I hope that it looks as good as it does in my head!! Painting is hard work!!!!!!! I'm exhausted!!!!!

SO WHITE!!! DROVE ME CRAZY! THE WALLS, CABINETS, SHOWER CURTAIN, TOWELS ALL WHITE!!!!Going to replace this cheap mirror and lights with something better the flash from my camera made it look more like a brighter blue than it actually is...I can't wait to sponge on the deep blue on top!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Dane and ran over to the outlet mall by my house earlier, to get his foot sized at Stride Rite, and to get a few needed things for him. Well, it started raining when we were heading back to the car, so I figured I would just put the stroller cover down and haul buns. My little booger would not keep the stroller cover down...he kept lifting his arm up so he could peek out! We even had people that would stop and wave to him, and then crack up at what he was doing! All I can say he is a total trip! He makes me laugh everyday!

Side Note: I'm thinking since I went to a "discounted" Stride Rite, you only get "discounted" service! They told me that Dane's right foot was a 5 1/2 and his left foot was not even a 4! I asked are you sure?...and of course I got an answer with major attitude.."yes that is what his feet measured". So I guess either I need to get a 2ND opinion or I need to be concerned that Dane is some kind of circus freak! HA

Friday, February 20, 2009

I'm not sure what it is about my hair, but Dane loves to play with it, touch it, yank it, eat it etc. It drives me crazy! I now know why they say that mom's hair tends to get shorter and shorter! He doesn't usually mess with it if my hair is down. But for some reason if I have my hair pulled up into a ponytail he thinks it is a toy. What's funny is that he normally gets a hold of my hair after being real sweet. He will have his head down on mine or his hand on my shoulder, and then all of a sudden it catches his attention, and usually without warning he gets a big handful!!! I think me yelling ouch, and No Dane be sweet, or You are hurting Mommy he thinks I'm being funny, because he will laugh and try to do it again!

Something funny happened today. Dane noticed that I had eyebrows! Hilarious I know. I was laying propped up on the floor, and he was climbing all over me, when he stopped, got very close to my face and had this look that was somewhat weird, but very cute at the same time. He then reached down and touched my eyebrow. He kept doing it over and over. He would turn away and do something else, but then kept coming back over and touching my right eyebrow. It was hilarious! At first, he was being very gentle, but then his "boy" side came out and the gentle touch turned into a rough hard grasp, almost where I thought he wanted to rip my eyebrow off! He was very intrigued by it! So weird! It is something that we take for granted, but to a little person they have no idea what it is, or what its purpose is. Which by the way, i don't know what the purpose of an eyebrow is, besides that we would look weird with out it. My little man cracks me up!! Everyday is a new day, That's for sure!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Check out this funny video of Dane making noises with his lips. Dane did this for seriously like 30 minutes without stopping today. He was walking all over the place while continuously doing it. He cracks me up!

I've noticed that in the last few days Dane had been extra clingy with me, so today I decided that I would be extra attentive to the lil man. I promised myself that I would not run a single errand, or do a single house chore. I planned to sit on the floor and play with him all day long. I think at times, there is so much pressure out there to be a "good typical" wife, that we sometimes forget what is really important. Who cares if the kitchen is messy, or the floor doesn't get swept, or the laundry has to wait an extra day before going into the wash. In the grand scheme of things, those things don't matter. Everyone thinks that to be a good wife/mother you have to be like "June Cleaver", and always have things perfect in the home. When we look back on our life are we going to think about the days that we had messy houses, or are we going to think about the fun memories we created with the people we love? Obviously, we can't just let everything go all the time, but occasionally it doesn't hurt, and can be a bit refreshing as well.

So that's what I did today. I seriously did not do a single thing, but play with Dane. We played with every single toy I think he has. About lunch time some evil thoughts began to creep into my mind, and I began to run through the list of things that needed to be done. But I resisted! Nothing is that important that can't wait until my next day off from work. Dane and I had a great day, he was in a great mood, and actually took a 2 hour nap for me. I did something that I have not done in years...I took a nap myself. Wooh! I shock myself too sometimes! Showing me my hair that he yanked out with his toy! Isn't that so Sweet! yeah right! So excited!His new thing...when he has gotten a hold of something he isn't suppose to play with, he opens his mouth real wide and looks to see if you are watching him...Has gotten where he only wants to feed himself...can be a bit frustrating with foods that aren't finger foods.the terrible twos have come early...he loves to smash his food in his hands, and laugh at you like ha ha look what I didplaying in his tunnel...we had so much fun

Sunday, February 15, 2009

I think it is safe to say that this Valentine's was probably the Most un-romantic Valentine's so far. We went to dinner with the Gonzalez Family at ShoGun's, a Japanese restaurant that is Cypress's version of Benihanas. Neither of us had babysitters, so we made it a family dinner instead. We had a 5:00 reservation so we would be in and out before the "real" v-day crowd arrived. It must have been a full moon or something, because all the kids were acting crazy and not on their best behavior. Dane was extremely fussy, and just couldn't make up his mind what he wanted or who he wanted to hold him etc. We got seated at "our" grill, and began to wait patiently for our chef to arrive. After a long wait (an hour), I finally asked the host how much longer because we were all having multiple meltdowns, and didn't know how much longer the babies would make it. Not to long after we were told the chef was on his way, a manager came over to the whole room to inform everyone that they were sorry for the wait, but apparently they had run out of rice. How do you run out of rice at a japanese restaurant, on v-day, and before the actual rush got there???? I guess we should have gone to Benihanas instead! Sorry Gabe! Ok so we waited a bit more, and then finally the chef came over and prepared our meal. The food was great. Then we left it was pouring outside, and so the night ended with us all soaked. So it wasn't a typical romantic, mushy v-day, but we were glad that we got to hang out with the Gonzalez's. It made for some good laughs!

I didn't get any good pictures from the evening...the kiddos just wouldn't cooperate, and we were having such a tough time dealing with all the fussiness that I didn't get a good family shot either!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful V-day, and that Cupid was good to you. Kevin and Dane surprised me with a gift certificate to get a massage, which I'm very excited about. Although, Kevin and I did agree that we were NOT doing V-day presents this year for each other, since we are getting ready to go on a trip, he did get in trouble for not following directions...but I'll take the massage anyway. :) My boys love me! Kevin had Dane hand me the cards, which was really cute. He handed me the first one (Kev likes to do multiple cards), but Dane did not want to let go of the 2nd one! :)

Dane opening up his v-day present. He got a couple outfits and a snack cup, which I'm sure he was so excited about!

Dane at 2 wks last year on V-day..Look at how much he has changed in 1 year!!

We got to munch on some yummy cupcakes courtesy of Grandma Wittschen

Dane and I were playing...he was going back and forth from playing on the couch to rolling off onto the cushions, when all of a sudden he layed down, got real still, and in matter of seconds he was out!! I was too scared to move him, s I let him sleep there. He slept for an hour and a half on the floor!!!!! Whatever works to get in a good nap!!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The weather was absolutely beautiful today...perfect day to light up the grill, so Kevin decided he would grill up some sausage for dinner. Dane loves to be outside, and kept pointing at the door, and making it obvious that he wanted us to step out. So, we sat outside and watched Daddy grill up the sausage! Pretty Exciting Night! It doesn't matter what you are doing outside, Dane just loves the outdoors!! Definitely gets this from his Daddy!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

We started brushing Dane's teeth in the last few days, and he absolutely loves it!! He likes to put the tooth brush in his mouth by himself (Mr. Independent), and he doesn't mind when we actually brush his teeth. He just sits there and lets you do it. We use a baby tooth paste that doesn't have fluoride in it, and is safe to swallow. And brushing his teeth always gives him the opportunity to see himself in the mirror. It cracks me up how he reacts to seeing his reflection! I hope since he likes brushing his teeth now there will be no problems later on when he hits the toddler years!! Ha

Monday, February 9, 2009

Here is a video of Dane walking. I actually got several videos today of him taking several steps. I uploaded a short one where he is only doing maybe 8 steps, because the others were too long to put on here. At one point Dane took 14 steps without falling! Woohoo! It is like over night he is growing more and more confidant, and getting so good at walking. It is amazing to see how much they learn in such a short time. Dane doesn't like to cuddle anymore, he always wants you to put him down so he can explore everything! What happened to my lil baby?

Dane loves to play with cell phones, and lately he puts it up to his mouth and blabs and blabs like he is talking to someone. My baby is a genius! ( Christy that was for you! ha) He has called several people, so don't be surprised if your phone rings, and all you hear is baby talk! lol

I think it is safe to say that Dane's favorite birthday gift is his red wagon. He loves to go for rides in it, and will get so upset if you stop pushing him, or start to take him out of the wagon. Any time we are going out to the car, or coming back from going somewhere he will immediately start pointing at the wagon. It is so fun to watch how he interacts while he is riding around in it. He laughs, and smiles and loves looking around. If ever he is in a bad mood or cranky, just bring him outside and watch how his mood will change immediately.

Dane and I went to Orange on Sunday to have a short visit with everyone. We stayed the night and came back today. It is always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, and head "home". While there we got to visit with Nannaw & Pappy, and see the progress on their house. They are still living in the FEMA trailor, waiting on their house to be finished from the damage of the hurricane. I always enjoy getting to hang out with my grandparents. After being with Nannaw for a short time, Dane started laughing like she does. She has a very loud and contagious laugh, and every time she would laugh he would start laughing the exact same way. What a trip he is!

We also ate lunch and dinner at a couple of my all time favorite places. For lunch we went to Cheddars, and Dane enjoyed getting to eat every thing that Poppy had on his plate. You can't go to Orange without hitting up the famous Casa Ole. We decided to go there for dinner last night. If you are not from Orange, then you have a hard time understanding why Casa Ole is a favorite! I think it is a small town thing. On our way out I had to hit up Dairy Queen, for some biscuits and gravy...another small town favorite!

Being home in Orange makes me miss all the good things about living in a small town. Just the fact that you can get around the whole city without dealing with traffic and in 5 minutes is the best part. Not to mention Casa Ole, Dairy Queen, Big B donuts, Weinerschnitzels, snow cone stands are only found here. And people are just friendlier in small towns. No matter where you go in Orange rather it be Walmart, gas station, restaurants you will always run into someone that you know, or that knows someone that you do...not sure if this is considered a good thing! :)

Side Note:On the way home Dane started getting antsy, and wanting out of his car seat, so I gave him some animal crackers to munch on. At one point, I looked back and noticed that Dane was stuffing the crackers in between his chest and seat belt. Why do boys have an obsession with pockets, and hiding things. Maybe he wanted to save some for later, or maybe he just wanted to see if they would fit. Weird! He is a true Boy!

Dane opening up his Valentine's Day present from Granny & PoppyPoppy sharing his casa ole dessertShowing how he is starting to walkGetting into everything/ tv is his favorite thing to mess withPoppy chasing Dane